Drum Major Tryouts
by King Nerd
Summary: Tori is about to take the biggest step in the career of any band kid... she's trying out for the position of Drum Major.


**AN: Hey guys. Just another short little band story, as the title suggests, it's about Drum Major tryouts. If you guys have read my other band stories, you may find the same band kids in here.**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I took a deep breath, then another. I could do this. I could do this.

Who was I kidding? I couldn't do this.

All you have to do, I told myself firmly, is walk through that door. Just head in. Why are you scared? It's just the band room. It's your favorite place in the world, it's your second home. You're freaking out over nothing.

I took the last few steps and opened the door, walking into the band room. Mr. Rapson smiled at me as I entered. "Hey, kid. You ready?" he asked, as I joined him and Todd, who was standing with him.

I pasted a smile on my face. No way was I going to let it show that I was scared now. "As I'll ever be," I answered. You're an actor, I told myself. So act.

Todd and I stood there with our director as everyone else got out their instruments. "Let's head outside!" he bellowed, and everyone reluctantly migrated outside.

Mr. Rapson, Todd, and I brought up the rear of the procession as they headed out to the marching field. "Where's Marissa?" I asked.

"Mayor's Youth Council is planting flags in the cemetery right now," Todd said. Mayor's Youth Council was a club that Marissa was a part of.

"Isn't she going first?" I asked.

"That's what we decided yesterday, but if she's not here yet, I don't know," Todd answered.

Mr. Rapson climbed up onto Jarvis, the Drum Major podium that was set up by the field, and the band fell silent. "Welcome to Drum Major tryouts," he said. "The three students trying out will be Todd, Marissa, and Tori. They will all get up here and conduct through the first twenty-three measures of James Bond, and then they will give you basic marching commands. At the end of class, I will pass out voting slips. You will write whichever one you think will make the best Drum Major on it. Don't just put down your friends name; this is a serious choice, and please be honest. Tomorrow, during class, I will announce the results. Bb warmup." He raised his hands and began conducting.

The Drum Major from last year, Grace, came over to me and Todd. "Being Drum Major is the best experience of your High School career," she said. "I know both of you- and Marissa- would all make excellent Drum Majors, and good luck."

Todd was a junior this year, which meant that this fall, when he would be Drum Major, he would be a senior. Marissa was the same. I, however, was a freshman right now, which meant I would only be a sophomore next fall. We hadn't had a sophomore Drum Major at our school in many years, and I don't know if the band would want a sophomore to lead them.

Marissa ran up to us- literally. "Hey! You made it!" Todd said cheerfully. She was panting, bad.

"Ran… from the… cemetery," she explained.

"Do you want one of us to go first?" I offered. Grace smiled at the suggestion.

Marissa shook her head. "I… can do… it."

Mr. Rapson finished warm-ups and climbed off of Jarvis. "You're up, Marissa." Still breathing hard, she climbed onto the podium. With an aggressive, harsh sounding yell, she counted off and began to conduct. Todd and I watched from behind as the band played through the twenty-three measures, and Marissa cut them off, fumbling a bit as she did so.

Marissa then climbed down off the podium to put the band through several marching commands. With the same, aggressive, harsh yell, she ordered the band through the various commands we had been told to do, skipping several of the required ones.

Then, it was my turn.

Scared out of my mind, but knowing I couldn't show it, I climbed up onto the podium. After taking one breath, I brought up my hands, counting them off with a loud voice. I conducted the first twenty-three measures, and then cut them off. My heart beating louder than the bass drum, I climbed down off the podium and got ready to command the block.

I made sure to be loud, but to not yell harshly. I had been in band under a Drum Major that was a screamer, and it wasn't fun. I didn't want to be like that.

Then, it was over. It was Todd's turn now.

He got up on Jarvis, and began to conduct. His form wasn't very good, but he was confident. Once he cut them off, he got down and began to order the block, which he did well.

Soon, Todd rejoined me and Marissa, and the three of us stood together as Mr. Rapson passed out the voting slips.

"Group hug?" Todd suggested, and the three of us stood together in a hug.

"You both would make great Drum Majors," I said, "I wish you both the best of luck in the vote."  
"Same to you, Tori," Todd said.

The whole band headed back in, turning in their voting slips to Mr. Rapson as they did so. Twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours and we would know.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There was only five minutes left in the hour. That meant Mr. Rapson would tell us who got Drum Major, and then dismiss us for the day. Any minute now.

"Ok, don't touch your music," Mr. Rapson, leaning on the back of his podium. "A few orders of business to get through. First, graduation is on Sunday. Be here at no later than 12:30 to get dressed, in the gym in your seats by 12:45. Second, your exam is a practical- you will come in to my office on the day of the exam, and you will play a part of the music from the spring concert. I will tell you what part to play when you walk in. And I guess, I have to tell you who got Drum Major."

The band was dead silent. "Congrats to Tori, our next Drum Major."


End file.
